December 14, 2014 — Fish and seafood are widely regarded as good for us, but navigating the world of the ocean can be endlessly confusing. Especially on restaurant menus, which often present many labels and no context.
So we're taking a closer look at some of these labels this week with the help of John Sclafani, co-owner of Midland Park-based Off the Hook. Sclafani's company provides fish and seafood to a number of top local restaurants, including Local Seasonal Kitchen in Ramsey and St. Eve's in Ho-Ho-Kus. Another good resource is seafoodwatch.org, run by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which focuses on sustainability.
Wild-caught versus farm-raised: This is the major question for many diners: whether their fish was caught from a wild population or was raised commercially in a tank, cage, pen or other enclosure.
Some look for the "wild" label assuming it's automatically better. It's usually more expensive. But there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, all fish farming is not created equal: There are vast differences in what country the farms are in, how the fish are raised, the nature of their enclosures, what they are fed and the sustainability of each practice.
Take salmon, for instance: You won't find much wild salmon around this time of year, and what you'll find will be very expensive and/or previously frozen. What's served in most restaurants is your basic farmed Atlantic salmon, the vast majority of it fed antibiotics and color additives. If you're concerned about that issue, you can ask a fishmonger about premium farms. I've been buying the no-antibiotic Faroe Islands farmed salmon, which is far more affordable than wild.